# Cigar smoking making you sick?



## Evonnida (Jun 1, 2010)

So I've been smoking cigars for about 3-4 months now. I lit up a Rocky Patel 1961 tonight and really enjoyed it. However, towards the end of the stick, I started feeling lightheaded. After I stopped smoking, I got rather dizzy and started sweating and felt really sick. It went away after about an hour of lying on the couch. I'm assuming since this is a fuller cigar, I got a bit of a nicotine buzz? I tend to smoke and enjoy stronger cigars and have never experienced this before. Anyone else?

P.S. I had eaten today, quite a bit actually, but nothing for about an hour before I lit up.


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## Mhouser7 (Aug 13, 2010)

It was the Rocky!!! LOL, just kidding....... Are you inhaling?


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## phager (Jun 28, 2010)

Sound's like a little nicotine overload. I've only experienced it a few time, and never with cigars, but then again, I was also a 2 pack a day smoker for a number of years.

I've heard that drinking some soda, or other sugary food will help counteract some of the effects of nicotine. If it happens to you again give that a try.


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## DeeSkank (May 26, 2010)

Hasn't happened to me yet and I've been smoking cigars almost daily for as long as you have. I've gotten a nice buzz before, but I've never gotten sick.

Normally as long as I eat an hour or two beforehand I'm fine.


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## Tman (Sep 12, 2010)

I've gotten sick from smoking a Romeo y Julieta straight out of a box (immediately after taking the wrapper off the box). It tasted bitter at start and I'm pretty sure it was the ammonia. Did you smoke a cigar that was not rested properly?


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## YouDontKnowJack (Sep 10, 2010)

I have gotten this exact feeling before, and i think it is just the fuller cigar, but i haven't been paying attention to weather or not i have been eating before, but i just decided to stay away from the fuller ones for now and i am sticking to medium and i think it is helping


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## Wiseguy1982 (Nov 17, 2009)

I always eat directly before I smoke. Unless it's something mild like our Private Label cigars at the shop I work at.

I tend to eat a lot too...why am I so skinny? :help:


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## Evonnida (Jun 1, 2010)

The cigar had been resting for about 2 months. I did not inhale. I did drink a soda afterwards, which sorta helped. I'll just make sure I munch on something beforehand in the future.


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## d_day (Aug 24, 2008)

Definite nicotine OD. Keeping the blood sugar up really helps. A non-diet soda or a small piece of candy will help.


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## Evonnida (Jun 1, 2010)

d_day said:


> Definite nicotine OD. Keeping the blood sugar up really helps. A non-diet soda or a small piece of candy will help.


Good to know... I popped a few laffy taffys in after I was feeling better and they seemed to help. I'm surprised this is the first time I've run across this as I love the strong smokes.


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## 1029henry (Jan 18, 2010)

I never smoke on an empty stomach for this reason.


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## KetherInMalkuth (Dec 17, 2009)

Yeah, definitely some nicotine sickness, which sucks, I've had it a couple times and it's certainly not pleasant. Once was after my first Opus which was a Double Corona I nubbed (on an empty stomach) and once after a DPG Blue which I foolishly smoked on an empty stomach in the morning. It's always a good idea to have eaten a decent meal before you smoke a stronger cigar and if you're going to be herfing and smoking multiple cigars in a short period of time, I'd suggest drinking plenty of water and eating some kind of sweet snack with carbs after each cigar, oatmeal cream pies work pretty good for keeping the nicsick at bay.


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## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

Nicotine overdose - but if it DOES Happen again, lay as still as you can and drink tons of water (NOT SUGAR) if you drink sugary drinks it will increase your insulin levels and increase the amount of nic going directly to your brain.

People who tend to drink soda probably have a decent caffeine and insulin resistance and therefore aren't feeling the nic as much as say me who doesn't drink any sugary things and avoids caffeine.


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## KetherInMalkuth (Dec 17, 2009)

Zogg said:


> Nicotine overdose - but if it DOES Happen again, lay as still as you can and drink tons of water (NOT SUGAR) if you drink sugary drinks it will increase your insulin levels and increase the amount of nic going directly to your brain.
> 
> People who tend to drink soda probably have a decent caffeine and insulin resistance and therefore aren't feeling the nic as much as say me who doesn't drink any sugary things and avoids caffeine.


I'm not sure this is entirely accurate. To the best of my knowledge and research, nicotine sickness is essentially a mild form of nicotine poisoning, and is caused by too much stimulation of nicotinic cholinergic neurons in the brain. This overstimulation happens when the liver can not suitably detoxify the body because heavy smoking exhausts the sugar supply within the liver. The effect is worsened when the sugar supply in the liver is already low due to fasting. The rapid consumption of sugar, sweet drinks, and consumption of carbohydrates which are then transformed into sugar by the body helps replenish the liver's sugar supply and restore the proper liver function, bringing nicotine toxicity levels back into range which the brain can handle, thus ending the symptoms we call nicotine sickness.

I am not a doctor, and if I am wrong here, I'd love to hear any input someone else has which is more accurate.

I'd also like to add, that besides my research, there is also overwhelming anecdotal evidence (including my own personal experience) that sugar and sugary drinks work to combat nicotine sickness, so regardless of the cause and science behind it, I'll not be changing my course of action because I know it to work for me.


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## Jeff989 (Sep 17, 2010)

Agreed, as previously stated, NIC overdose... when i use to smoke cigarettes, sometimes in the morning i would smoke one before eating breakfast, boy talk about a rough ride, there is a fine fine line between getting a buzz and way over doing it... i would get really really shaky, get HORRIBLE cold sweats, i would have to sit down or i would pass out.. sweat would literally be dripping off me... but when your addicted to cigs you dont really care about that stuff at the moment when your really craving one.... mine however would go away within 5-9 minutes, thats the only time i ever has a nic OD


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## Tman (Sep 12, 2010)

You get a worse nicotine sickness from chewing tabacco. I don't think I've had had a nicotine sickness from smoking a cigarette or cigar in the last 10 years.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

ciagrs usually don't
but
sometimes the sailor jerry's rum might.
especially when I am enjoying a churchill....


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## Tman (Sep 12, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> ciagrs usually don't
> but
> sometimes the sailor jerry's rum might.
> especially when I am enjoying a churchill....


That's a strong rum. I remember using it for eggnog some time ago. lol.


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## BKDW (Nov 7, 2009)

I love strong sticks. 

When I first started smoking, a cigar named after Winston Churchill nearly killed me. I was in a lounge and I became neausous and sweated profusely. I stayed there over a half hour after I smoked the cigar because I was afraid to get up because I though I would vomit.

Years later, I can hold my own. Not even a La Flor Dominicana can get to me.

But the Triple A from 5 Vegas did a while ago. 

I was leaning over the toilet after that one-- even after a full dinner.


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## ke4mcl (Jun 17, 2010)

this is what cubans call "una nota". young cuban americans call it "the note". basically a nicotine high. its a very fine line between a good "nota" and feeling like arse though.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Every now and then, I'll get light headed, not sick though.
I had a AVO LE10 followed by a Cain F with no food on the stomach... got a little light headed but never sick.



Wiseguy1982 said:


> I tend to eat a lot too...why am I so skinny? :help:


_I feal your pain brother!_


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

*Nicotine is usually the culprit and keeping something sweet nearby when you start feeling the effects usually will counteract that feeling.*


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

A hefty dose of Vitamin N. Sugar is the answer. 

Nothing to feel odd or ashamed of, though. Every once in a while, even a stick you're totally used to will throw you a curve ball. If you have an irregular eating schedule like yours truly, or some days you sort of forget to eat, then you might be subjected to a few more ups-and-downs. Eating heartily before smoking also seems to help, but that's all tied into blood sugar.


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## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

KetherInMalkuth said:


> I'm not sure this is entirely accurate. To the best of my knowledge and research, nicotine sickness is essentially a mild form of nicotine poisoning, and is caused by too much stimulation of nicotinic cholinergic neurons in the brain. This overstimulation happens when the liver can not suitably detoxify the body because heavy smoking exhausts the sugar supply within the liver. The effect is worsened when the sugar supply in the liver is already low due to fasting. The rapid consumption of sugar, sweet drinks, and consumption of carbohydrates which are then transformed into sugar by the body helps replenish the liver's sugar supply and restore the proper liver function, bringing nicotine toxicity levels back into range which the brain can handle, thus ending the symptoms we call nicotine sickness.
> 
> I am not a doctor, and if I am wrong here, I'd love to hear any input someone else has which is more accurate.
> 
> I'd also like to add, that besides my research, there is also overwhelming anecdotal evidence (including my own personal experience) that sugar and sugary drinks work to combat nicotine sickness, so regardless of the cause and science behind it, I'll not be changing my course of action because I know it to work for me.


back in 07 there was a study (and a few confirming subsequent ones) indicating that nicotine causes the body to release a lot of your sugar stores (as you mentioned, in the liver) which gives you that "high"

Now, nicotine is water soluble, and it has an interesting way of making you "want to puke", the direct action of nicotine on the emetic chemoreceptor trigger zone in the medulla oblongata leads to reflex vomiting, and your body never "feels good" during a reflex vomit.

this would imply that taking an antihistamine (H1 blocker) would help prevent this from occuring, it is used in chronic cases of GTS - green tobacco sickness - which occurs in tobacco farmers who absorb large amounts of nicotine through the skin (remember water soluble? well they harvest in the rain sometimes)

Ill be honest that was a quick "what i know about the body/nicotine" answer - as it actually does make sense from the context of what i read into at the time.

The fact that you ingest something evens out your blood sugar levels (hooray CNS and its ability to work its ass off towards homeostasis) because you are telling the body "Heres even more sugar!" and your blood sugar will raise a little, then drop quickly, as the homeostasis mechanism is activated. essentially..

so your body lowers the blood sugar (it will be higher over time because you are eating sugar, but for the time being your body will attempt to maintain homeostasis) 
heres a graph to sorta show what i mean, see how when you eat high sugar foods (dotted lines) your blood sugar plummets right afterwards? well this plummet reduces the delivery of nicotine to your body, and makes you feel better

so for the reason i though sugar was bad, its a good idea!

learn somethin' every day.

to recap: Eating sugar lowers your sugar levels and makes you feel better quickly because your body fights the huge increase in sugar by lowering the blood sugar levels immediately after eating, nicotine delivery is slowed by this so sugar intake = less blood sugar = slowed nicotine delivery.

weird, but awesome.


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## nanotech (Oct 27, 2008)

I had to try out this sugar trick yesterday, and I think it helped! Many times have I sat sweating in misery when I was first smoking cigars...an Opus X once was the worst I've had, but that was on an empty stomach.

I once did a 10 day water fast, and then had a cigar and beer to break it..I thought I would die.


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## quincy627 (Jul 2, 2010)

I have run into this a couple of times. It's always on an empty stomach and when I have an exceptionally dark maduro or oscuro cigar. The last time I have this happen I was smoking a La Flor Dominicana maduro Salomone. It hasn't stopped me though. I just ordered a few the other day. :thumb:


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

I regularly feel the effects of nicotine when I smoke high-nic cigars. A slight nic buzz is OK, but as soon as the nic buzz starts to strengthen, I stop smoking, because I know I'll get nauseous if I continue.

There's nothing I hate more than having to stop half-way through a great (and expensive!) cigar, in order not to get sick.

I choose short vitolas, and high nicotine is a negative factor in my personal rating system.


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## Desert_Stix (Sep 19, 2010)

This happens to me from time to time, usually with a full body cigar. I like others usually eat before a smoke. When I am outside at home I do spit a lot, for me I don't really like to swallow my saliva when smoking. If I am at a shop or at a friends house I usually have a pop or something to drink. I am not going to compare chew with cigars, but some just do not have a high threshold or the stomach for nicotine. I had some friends that could swallow chew spit all day and not sweat it, for me I would be driving the 
BUICKuke:

This is just my :2 and everyone is different, but I hear ya on how it can ruin the enjoyment of a nice smoke, especially when you think about it all day at work.


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## bresdogsr (Jan 27, 2005)

Found drinking a sugary drink or some sugar when the symptoms occur really help. Used to be afraid of "stronger" smokes now I smoke slower and keep some sugar on hand.


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## bimmerboy318 (Sep 1, 2010)

I'll suck on a sugar cube and I'll feel better in 10 minutes. But you do have to stop smoking as soon as a nicotine buzz starts to get a little stronger.

First time it happened, I kept smoking for another 20 minutes thinking the buzz would stay just that, a buzz. But it got worse instead, and this was before I knew about the sugar cube trick.


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## Citizen Zero (Nov 1, 2010)

Desert_Stix said:


> When I am outside at home I do spit a lot, for me I don't really like to swallow my saliva when smoking.


Me too. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.


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## MaduroScotty (Jan 2, 2006)

Pretty sound advice so far with eating before hand and ingesting some sugar. Those have been fairly good remedies when I've experienced it. Water is also helpful too, a little universal solvent will help dilute what is making you ill.


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## Nathan King (Nov 4, 2010)

I smoked two full-bodied cigars on an empty stomach once. I ended up dizzy, lightheaded, pale, and eventually threw up. It was really odd because I had tingling fingers similar to the feeling of getting zapped by an outlet. I hate to give too much information, but even the vomit smelled like cigars! Here's portions of my post from another forum:



Nathan King said:


> *A Tale of Two Smokes: Why you should never smoke two full-bodied cigars before breakfast.*​
> ...After a brief moment of indecision, I carefully pull out a Padrón and Opus X before making my way outside...
> 
> ...As I stood up from my recliner after finishing the cigars I took a step forward and paused. "This is odd," I thought. With a cautious gait I walked back into the house. By the time I closed the door I noticed that a few beads of sweat were forming near my hairline. My clumsy, tingling fingers flipped on the bathroom light to reveal a pale reflection in the mirror...
> ...


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## Zfog (Oct 16, 2010)

It has gotten to me a couple times. Once I get to the point that my ears start to feel warm, I start to smoke a little slower. I often smoke 2 in a row, but I pace myself and enjoy them. 
I usually don't eat until after I smoke. For some reason I love eating after I smoke. ound:


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## MaduroScotty (Jan 2, 2006)

LOL-Nathan and Zfog, you bring back some old memories of mine. I smoked a very bold cigar and thought it was mellow and just, well....plain. The second time I smoked the cigar on a different occasion, it totally laid me out and I felt green for a good hour. The third time, it was a great cigar and I regretted only having one. The cigar? An Opus X.


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## BillyVoltaire (Jun 23, 2009)

If you are smoking a very strong cigar, you have to be very careful when you stand up. When I first started smoking I got up quickly to run inside and answer the phone, little that I know that I would quickly become lightheaded and the room was spinning. 

Very weird feeling, haven't been through since that first time, probably came from smoking too fast.

BV


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## 1029henry (Jan 18, 2010)

I've only gotten sick after I view my credit card bill thanks to CI and Famous Smoke!!!


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## jmouche1 (Mar 1, 2010)

I got sick the first couple of times I smoked, I think it was because I was accidently inhaling to some extent. I hadn't mastered the cigar smoking technique. But I still try and make sure I have had something to eat, whether it be a meal or a small snack, about an hour or two before I smoke. I also like to drink coke or water with my cigar...


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## ohheypaul (Oct 1, 2014)

Yes sugar is good! What I found to be really effective,

Right when you start to feel light-headed or dizzy, run in the house and mix 2 spoonfuls of sugar into a little bit of water. Mix until it dissolves and guzzle that down. When I start to feel light-headed or laggy on the first 15 minutes of a strong cigar, I do this and I'm able to finish the entire cigar down to the nub without even being dizzy. Works for me!

The main thing is to get your blood sugar up.


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## droy1958 (Sep 3, 2014)

Well I do smoke quite a bit on an empty stomach in the late afternoon/evening. When the wifey gets off work we almost always head for the back deck and chill out. Me with a cigar, drink and some tunes while she plunders the veggie garden for the latest ripened goodies. I generally grill 2-4 times a week, so I may have 2 cigars in the evening before dinner as one must have a smoke while grilling (I know I read it somewhere). SOOOoooo, I guess my point is that I do get the sweats with pre-dinner smokes maybe once or twice a week. Some cigars that come to mind recently that "bit" me are AB Prensado robusto , Diesel Hair of the Dog Gordo (6" x 60) , Man O' War Ruination Robusto #2 (6" x 60) , and a Romeo y Julieta Reserve Churchill which surprised me as I thought it to be mild to medium when I first lit it up, but it snuck up on me.....


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